Automobile-lock.



H. P. MAMMEN.

AUTOMOBILE LOCK'.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.1s.19n.

| l I l I Patented May 28, 1918;y

NsMlssloN.

my 1f... 6M? Mmm HRY 1P. MANNEN, CF SPRINGFIELD, QHIO.

AUTOIVIOIBELE-LOCK.

nacaeaa i To all whom t may concern:

. Be it known that I, HARRY l?. MAMMEN, a

l l citizen of the United States of America, a

resident of', Springfield, in the 4county of.

lJ5 Clark, ,State of Ohio, have invented certain ,new and .useful Improvements in Automobile-Lockg-fof which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, reference being had toyy'the accompanying drawings, forming a ,art of this specification.l I' lyin'ventien relates to improvements in l automobile locks, one of the objects being to provide a simple and inexpensive means for 4flocking the traction wheels of an automo bile, seas to prevent the vehicle from being towed-f when the lock is in service. Another .object is .to lock the power transmission device in its neutral condition, thereby preventing the transmission of power from the engine to the drive shaft.

Specification of Letters Patent. y

,I I the preferred form of the invention, yboth of. these obj ccts are attained by a snnple, locking 4device provided ,with a latch for se-y The automobile cannot be injured by starting thevenginc while the lock lis in service, power cannot `be transmitted from the engine to the locked drive shaft, and sincethe traction wheels are geared to the drive shaft the danger of theft by towing the vehicle .las

` Figure ll is a fragmentary view showing the locking device associated with the drive shaft land thesp'eed changing device of an automobile. f

I Fig. lll is a view similar to Fig. l showing the locking device in its operative position. Fig. lll is a plan view, partly in section,

` -showing the'lock in its operative position.

. .F ig. `llV is a verticalsection taken approximately on the line lVe-llV, Fig. l, the drive Shaft bein omitted. n l

MFig. "V4 `is a iagrammatical view of an automobile, showing the relative positions Patented May 2d.. i918.

. z ll f Application filed August 13, 1917'. Serial No. 185;@29.

of the` engine, transmission device, drive shaft and locking device.

The automobile herein shown (Fig. V) is provided with an engine A, a drive shaft B and a transmission device C for l' `ansmitting power from the engine to the drive shaft. l do not deem it necessary to show the details ofthe engine and transmission device, for such devices are well known in the art, and they may be constructed in any suitable Vmanner. `The drive shaft B includesl universal joints located at the points designated l and 2 for the purpose of conncctin 'the different shaft sections. The usual difierential gearing may be located at 3v (Fig. V) for the purpose of transmitting powerfrom the drive shaft to the traction wheels 4.

,The transmission dcvice may be actuated to change the Speed of the vehicle relative to the engine and to disconnect the engine from the drive shaftl, as is well understood in the art.

The transmission device herein shown is provided with n.nianually operated speed changing les/fer 5, forked at its lower end as indicated at G, to receive gearshifting rods 7, the latter being turned laterally at their ends, as shown most clearly in Fig.- lll. The lever 5 may be shifted laterally from one rod 7 to theother, and said lever may be a ctuated to move either of the rods 7 from the neutral position shown by full lines in Fig. l to the position shown by dotted lines. l"Vllcn the parts 5, G and 7 occupy the positions shown by full lines in the drawings the transmission device is in its neutral position and power cannot then be transmitted from v theengine to tbedrve shaft. Y

The locking deviceV hereiny shown comprises a latch holder provided with a ring 8 surrounding the drive shaft, a tubular bolt receiving member 9 formed integral with said ring, and wings l extending flrom the member 9. This latch holder' is permanently secured to the automobile by nieansof the ring 8 surrounding the drive shaft and also by rivets l1 passing through' the wings l() and secured to a bar 12, which forms part of the frame of the machine. E designates a double latch device pivotally connected at 13 to the latch holder and preferably provided with latch arms 14 and l5. 1,6 designates teeth extending downwardly from the latch arm l and adapted to interlock with a gear wheel 17 fixed to the drive shaft ll. The latch arm la is preferably provided with a pair of curved fingers 1S, adapted to receive. the ends of the gear shifting rods 7, said fingers 18 being separated from each other (Fig. lll) to receive the fork 6 at the lower end of the gear shifting lever o. A. spring 19 tends to retain the double latch device in the inoperative position shown in Fig. l, wherein it does not in any way interfere with the speed changing device nor with the drive shaft P. lVhen both gear sluftmo rods 'T and the lever 5 occupy their neutra positions the double latch holder E-may be shifted from the inoperative position shown iu Fig. l to the operative position shown in the other views of the drawing. l'Vhen the latch device ll occupies its operative. position its curved fingers 18 partly surround the ends of the rods 7 to retain both of said rods in their neutral positions; the lower end of the shifting lever 5 is confined between said curved fingers so that the lever can not be moved `from its neutral position, and the teeth 1G interlock with the gear wheel 17 to prevent the drive shaft from rotating.

The means for locking the latch device E in its operative position comprises a bolt 2() adapted to be inserted into the tubular portion S) of the latch holder (Fig. II) so as to engage the latch arm 15 and thereby retain the latch device. in its operative position. The bolt 2O is secured by means of a key controlled lock including a member 21 (Fig. Il) adapted to be projected into a recess in the latch holder. A key 22, separable from the bolt 20, may be actuated to release the various locking elements, and the'vbolt Q0 may then be removed from the machine. When the bolt 20 is withdrawn the spring 19 will quickly move the latch device to its inoperative position, whereinit will be retained until the bolt 20 is again inserted into the latch holder.

When the transmission device is not in its neutral position power can bc transmitted from the engine to the drive shaft B in the usual manner, and one of the gear shifting rods 7 will then occupy the position shown by dotted lilies in Fig. 1. T hefshifted rod 7 will then lie in the path of the latch arm lfl so as to retain the latch device in its inoperative position the object being to prevent the d rive shaft B from being locked by the teeth 16 when either of the gear shifting .rods 7. is shifted from its neutral position.

lf the drive shaft could be locked while the transmission device is not in its neutral position it would be. possible to transmit power from the engine to the locked drive shaft, and this might result in serious injury to the mechanism. lt is therefore an advantage to construct and arrange lthe elements of the locking device in such a manuel' that the drive shaft anuot be locked while the transmission device is not in its neutral position.

When the locking device is in service the gear wheel 17 fixed to the drive shaft B is locked by the teeth 16, and since this locks the drive shaft B it will be apparent that the traction wheels at are also locked. This prevents the automobile from being towed. The engine. can then be started and permitted to run idly, but it cannot transmit power to the drive shaft for the reason that the transmission device is locked in its neutral position.

I claim 1. In a locking device for an automobile having a drive shaft and power transmission device for transmitting power to Said shaft, the combination of a shaft fastening device preventing rotation of the drive shaft, a. transmission latch whereby the transmission device is secured to prevent the transmission of power to the drive shaft, said transmission latch being adapted to retain the transmission device in its neutral position7 both the transmission latch and shaft fastening device heilig inoperative when the transmission device is not in its neutral position, and key controlled locking means common to said transmission latch and shaft fastening device.

2. vln a locking device for an automobile having a drive shaft and power transmission device for transmitting power to said shaft, the combination of a shaft fastening device preventing rotation of the drive shaft, and a transmission latch associated with said shaft fastening device so as to latch the transmission device thereby preventing the transmission of power to the drive shaft, said transmission latch being movable into thc-path of a portion of the transmission device so as to secure the latter in its neutral position, and said shaft fastening device including a rotary member arranged to be actuated with the drive shaft and a'lateh movable into the path of said rotary member.

In a locking device for an automobile having a drive shaft and power transmission device for transmitting power to said shaft, the combination of a transmission latch for the transmission device and a shaft latch for preventing the rotation of the drive shaft, said transmission latch including a, latch member movable into the path of a ortion of the transmission device, said sha t latch including a, rotary member arranged to be actuated with the drive shaft and a latch member movable into the path ef said rotary member, and a locking means whereby both of said latch members are secured in their operative positions.

4. Tn a locking device for an automobile having a drive shaft and power transmission device for transmittingr power to said shaft, the. combination of a transmission latch for the transmission device and a shaft latch for meneer preventing the rotation ot the drive shaft, said transmission latch including a latch member movable into 'the path of a portion olf the transmission device, said shaft latch including a rotary member arranged to be actuated with the drive shaft and a latch member movable into the path of said rotary member, a yielding device tending to retain said latch members in their inoperative positions, and locking means whereby both of said latch members are secured in their operative positions.

5 In a locking device for an automobile having' a drive shaft and power transmission device for transmitting power to said shaft, the combination of a transmission latch for the transmission device and a shaft latch for preventin the rotation of the drive shaft, said late es comprising a latch holder adapted to be permanently secured to the ve hicle, a latch member secured to said'v holder and movable into the path of a portion of the transmission device to hold the latter in its neutral position, a second latch member also secured to said holder, a rotary mem'- ber arranged to be actuated withsa-id drive shaft, said second latch member being movable into the path ot' said rotary member, and locking means associated with. said latch holder to secure both of said latch members in their operative positions.

(i. In a locking device for an automobile `having alpovver transmission device pri vided with a pair of shiftable speed chan@ ing members and alever for actuating both.

of said members, a latch arm, a pivot for securing said latch arm adjacent to said speed. changing members and lever, the pivotally secured latch arm being forked to receive the lower end o1 said lever and recessed to receive portions .of speed chan ging members,

lsaid latch arm being movable into the paths of both of said speed changing members and.

also into the path olf said lever so as to secure said parts in their neutral positions, and locking means whereby said latch arm is pre-n vented from turning on-its pivot and thereby secured in its operative position.

7. In a locking device for an automobile having a drive sha-lit and a power transmis te sien device for trans. ng power te said shaft., the combination e a transmission loch; tor the transmission device and a shalt loch; for preventing rotation oie. the drive watt, said locks comprising a latch holder, means for securing said latch holder te the auto mobile, a rotary member movable with said drive shaft, a double latch device pir ted to said latch holder and provided Wit" a late` arm movable inte the path ol a nl: the transmission device to retain. the latter in its neutral position, said double latch device also having a latch arm movable into the path of said rotary member to prevent rotation of the drive shaft, and means cow operating 'with said double latch device to lock both latch arms in their operative posi tions.

8. in a locking device icr an automobile having a drive shaft and power transmission device for transmitting power to said sl the eombinatioi'i or' a transmission loclr i ir the transmission device and a s lock :tor preventing the rotation o". ive shaft, said loclrs comprising ,h holder sur rounding the drive shaft, means, in. addition tothe drive shaft, for tly securing.' said latch holder tn tl Lie, a gear." Wheel secured to the di a double latch. device pivoted to said latch holder and provided with a .latch 1 'in n'wvable into the path olf a portion of the l iission device to retain the latter in co" dition, said double latch d a .latch arm movable info teeth on said gear wheel of the drive shalt, a sprl said latch. arms in th. tions, a belt fitted to said ewipe-rating with said dei'. te retain both latch arms i pesitimis, sa` be..

bolt the latch holder, and bolt is secured in the c ln testimony tl hereunto adir; mv ,l 

